124.93/326
The Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary: In accordance with the suggestion which you made to me a few days ago that I solicit the views of the Chinese Ambassador on the subject of the possible removal of the American Embassy from Peiping to Nanking and withdrawal of the American armed forces from North China, I today brought this subject up with the Chinese Ambassador. I said to the Ambassador that I realized that these were matters about which it might be embarrassing to him to have asked officially and formally a direct question, but that I would like to have informally and unofficially an expression of his opinion. The Ambassador said that it was quite true that it would be embarrassing to him to have to make officially and formally a reply to such a question and that, in what he would say unofficially and informally, he must request that we treat the matter as strictly confidential. He then said that, on the occasion of the President’s reception of himself and the Chinese bankers on Monday last (May 11), at tea, the President had made a casual reference to this subject and had remarked [Page 542] that the Ambassador understood his, the President’s, attitude with regard to the matter. That had occurred in the presence of the Secretary of the Treasury. Thereafter, last evening (May 14), at the conference at Mr. Morgenthau’s house between Treasury officials and the Chinese, Mr. Morgenthau had asked the Ambassador what the Chinese really thought about the question of moving the Embassy. He, the Ambassador, had then stated to Mr. Morgenthau that, although Chinese officialdom had for sometime after the establishing of the Nanking Government desired that the foreign Missions leave Peiping and come to Nanking, and that the foreign armed forces be removed, conditions have changed and, in view of the situation which now prevails, Chinese officialdom is inclined to be gratified at the presence of the foreign diplomatic establishments in Peiping (that is, in North China). The Ambassador said that I might say to you, in expression of his opinion, but in strict confidence, that he believes that Chinese officialdom would prefer that, as matters stand, there be made no step toward moving our Mission away from Peiping or taking our armed forces out of North China, and that it is his own feeling that the effect of any such step, if taken, would be the opposite of helpful.
Comment: This reply by the Ambassador is entirely in keeping with and gives confirmation to the conclusions arrived at in the study recently made by this Division, in consultation with officers of the Army and of the Navy, of this subject, as reported to you in this Division’s memoranda.13 It also confirms the opinion which I expressed to you in estimate of the probable Chinese view.
In the light of the facts under reference as regards what has been presented on this subject, taken together with the events which have recently transpired in connection with the attack upon the American Legation at Addis Ababa,14 the precaution taken by the British Government in providing a guard for its Legation there, the service which that guard was called upon to perform, the resort of our Legation to the assistance of and protection by that guard, questions which have been asked and criticism which has been made subsequently in Congress, it would seem to me that there is little if any ground for doubting the wisdom of the successive decisions which have been made on the basis of which we have continued to maintain in Peiping a part of our diplomatic establishment in China and to maintain the armed forces which are related to and which go with the maintaining of that establishment; and, it seems to me that it clearly would be inadvisable for us to take at this time any step toward altering the physical set-up of our total establishment in North China.
- See memorandum of March 19, p. 535.↩
- See vol. iii, pp. 254 ff.↩